


Reunion

by Junkrattin



Category: Overwatch (Video Game), overwatch
Genre: M/M, Save me from the trash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-07-25 14:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7536208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junkrattin/pseuds/Junkrattin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Honestly I just wanted to write Reaper76<br/>JOIN THE REAPER 76 DISCORD SERVER!<br/>214872391057276929 (enter this into discord)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Initial contact

“Morrison?!” Tracer’s voice echoed down the halls "We got Reaper!” She skipped down the stairs toward the courtyard where the soldier spent most of his time.   
“Good work, Lena” he smiled slyly. “Send ‘em to the interrogation room.”   
“Sure thing! Looks like that room is finally going to get some use.” Tracer winked and smiled before blinking away.  
“How that kid is always so happy is beyond me.” Soldier:76 chuckled quietly to himself before standing and making his way to the room. He passed his team-mates, telling each one that he wanted no one else but McCree to accompany him. Word quickly spread and he found Jesse leaning against the closed door of the room. “Blackwatch may be disbanded, but I need your interrogative… knowhow.” the soldier barked at the man.   
“That’s all good and well, sir. But y'know I don’t do that no more.” He glanced up at his superior with a look of surprise.   
“This is important, we’ve been trailed by this ‘Reaper’ guy for a long time now. This could be our one chance to.. talk to him.” 76 whispered as he opened the door to the room. They found Reaper, back to them, bolted and chained to the floor. Winston had been a genius to run a current through the chains that would prevent Reaper from turning to smoke.   
“So you finally got me, eh?” His voice rough but clear. The sadist probably got a rush from being captured.   
76 rolled his eyes. “Looks like we did.” He walked around to the front of the table to face the man, he studied his gear. Heavily armoured, shotgun shells hanging from his belt, Blackwatch medallion hanging by his side… Blackwatch? What use did a Talon agent have with a Blackwatch medallion? He knew that Reaper was mysterious, but he didn’t know of anyone in Blackwatch with his.. skill set. Surely Reyes would have reported this to him. 76 frowned slightly. Reyes. His best friend, his own best friend tried to murder him, killing himself in the process. 76 frowned slightly. Reyes. His best friend, his own best friend tried to muder him, killing himself in the process. Why did he do it? Maybe this guy had some answers.   
“Smart of the monkey to make this.” He cooed as he lifted his arms to strain against the chains tying him to his human form.   
“Well, you are the one who was stupid enough to leave behind traces of your abilities.” 76 cocked his head toward Reaper “Seems a bit stupid, coming from a renowned killer, such as yourself.” That word.. Killer.. He had killed before, yes, but he wasn’t the mass murderer that everyone thought he was. He shook off the statement, keeping his masked stare firmly on the soldier. A familiar figure stepped into frame.   
“Ah, the famous Jesse McCree, here to put those Blackwatch skills to use are we?” Reaper purred softly  
“So you’ve heard of me then?” McCree drew his revolver “Fan of my work?”   
“You could say that.” He replied in a calm voice. 76 was irritated with this guys tone, an obnoxious know it all. He scoffed.   
McCree pressed the tip of his gun to the soft material covering Reaper’s neck. He left such an important place virtually unprotected? Why? Surely with his status he’d be more heavily armoured. “What are you trying to achieve?”   
‘The truth.” Reaper replied. Well, it wasn't entirely a lie “I want to know how it happened.”   
“How what happened?” 76 asked tentatively   
“How the explosion in Sweden happened.” He replied. 76 tensed, clenching his fists. He couldn’t see Reaper observing him carefully, taking mental notes of his body language and speech patterns.   
“That is none of your business.” 76 grunted heavily. McCree kept a straight face   
“Ah, you were there, then?” He raised his eyebrows under his mask. Finally. At least 1 answer.   
McCree chuckled “Don’t get too excited, we’re the ones questioning you.”   
“From the old man’s reaction, he doesn’t seem to be a very good fit.”   
“His expertise is elsewhere.” McCree paused “If you want answers about Overwatch, then why attack us?”   
“I’ve only attacked once, in Gibraltar. My information is my own. Talon has their own agenda. That information would have helped in ways you could never comprehend.”   
“You don’t work directly for Talon?”   
“No. A bounty hunter of sorts. They pay me, I do what those idiots can’t do.”   
“You sell your services to the highest bidder?”   
“We all have to make a living somehow.”   
“You make a point. Your belt. Ex Blackwatch?”   
“Yes.”  “I never heard of you, you didn’t work under Reyes, did you?”  “No.” It wasn’t a complete lie. You can’t really work under yourself.   
“Then why work with Talon?”  “They have the resources I need.”   
Soldier:76 stepped beside McCree “This isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, let’s get to the point. Who are you?”   
“I’m not in a position to tell you. Not yet anyway.” Reaper tilted his head down slightly and sighed lightly.   
“Not yet?” 76 took a seat across from his enemy. “A compromise, perhaps?”   
“I’m listening.” Reaper replied quietly.   
“Your call.” 76 knew he was taking a gamble, but he was willing what the man had to say.   
“You release me, I’m working on destroying Talon from the inside, but I need their trust first. It’s almost time. After that, I will tell you who I am.” Reaper knew it was a huge favour, but he was so close to putting an end to that section of corruption.   
“How do we know you’ll stick to your word? I need a date that you’ll return on.”   
“Next month, the 17th. That gives me 3 weeks. no más tarde. Lo prometo.” He rolled the r’s in a seductive voice. A cold shiver ran down 76’s spine. He hadn’t heard that voice in a while.   
“¡no me falles!” 76 tried his best to reply in Spanish.   
“Your pronunciation is terrible.” Reaper laughed softly.   
“It’s been a long time.” 76 replied, the last time he’d spoken any Spanish was with Gabriel.   
“Is our deal in affect?” Reaper lifted his chained arm slightly to show the shackle.   
“Yes. If you don’t return on time, we’ll bring you back in and make sure you never get the information you’re looking for.” 76 stood up and moved closer to Reaper, ready to remove his restraints.   
“Very well. See you in 3 weeks. I’ll be in contact sooner if needed.” As soon as 76 unshackled the dark man, he dissipated into smoke and vanished through the vent overhead. 

Jesse laughed quietly “He reminds me of Reyes.”   
 “He is Reyes.” 76 sighed heavily. “It’s obviously him.”   
“How do you know?”   
“Old habits die hard, I guess.”


	2. The plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reaper gets some unexpected news that puts his plan at a stressful new level, luckily for him, help isn't too far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation at end  
> I'm hoping that the next chapter will be much longer..

“How can you be so sure?” Jesse McCree asked carefully.  
“The way he sits. The way he talks. His outfit. The Blackwatch logo. It’s him for sure.” The way he talks. 76 took a moment to savour what little Gabriel had to say, he missed the calming voice, the slight accent that growing up in a Spanish family had given him. He had loved Gabriel to no end. He was looking for information about why the explosion happened. The thought flashed in 76’s mind. He wasn’t at fault. Gabe had been played. He wanted to hold him and tell him that it was okay now, but he couldn’t reveal his identity just yet. He was certain that Gabe didn’t recognise him. he had been careful to hide his face, his voice.  
“That certainly throws a spanner in the works.” McCree plastered a forced smile on his face and touched the cold metal buckle above his hat. Blackwatch. Gabriel Reyes had taken him in. Saved him from the Deadlock life. He was a good man under the rough exterior, often keeping his motives secret. Except for when it came to Morrison.  
\- 

Reaper surfaced and put himself back together out of the smoke. That voice. That damn voice. Not to mention the shocking pronunciation. Jack Morrison was dead. He was dead. He kept repeating the phrase over and over again in his mind. He couldn’t be alive, that would add so much more pain to the burden he already carried. He had come to terms with a dead Jack, but an alive one? He had so much to answer for, and not all the information to do so. He pushed the thought down and made his way back to Talon’s main base. His capture had been a strategic move by them, he was paid extra to get caught, to infiltrate Overwatch and steal some tech for Talon. Of course he had his own agenda on top of that, which he kept secret from his employer. What he wasn’t counting on was those damn chains. He never liked the gorilla much, He wasn’t a fighter, not fit for Overwatch. Lena and Genji, those were his favourite recruits, and though he didn’t show it, he was proud that they made it to the few that actually graduated the training program.  
“You took your time.” A soft voice echoed above him.  
“There were some unforeseen…complications.”  
“Pour quelqu'un d'aussi bon que vous?” she said back. Although he knew little of the French language, he could tell she was talking about him being gone for a while. Not to mention the snarky tone she talked in.  
“Yes.” He growled “They’ve certainly picked up their technology in the last 5 years.”  
The woman clicked her tongue “Didn’t help the Amari sniper.”  
Reaper frowned under his mask. Ana had been like a mother to him, he owed her so much. She was dead, according to the government, but he had heard reports of her. She was tough. “That’s none of my business, if you want to boast about something that happened years ago, rather than achieve anything now, be my guest.” Reaper laughed slightly before turning to smoke and making his way down the hall to report on his mission’s success. 

Oh how he hated this base. He was so close to tearing it apart, brick by brick. The soldiers always on the edge of his mind, after he’d taken their energy, he’d be strong enough to destroy Talon in seconds.  
“You received the tech report?” Reaper’s voice echoed through the room.  
“Yes.. It’s more than enough information.” A stern voice echoed back at him.  
“Good. Then my job here is done.” Reaper turned his back to walk out the door.  
“Not quite” the voice teased “Prepare for a mission, we’ll send you away to Dorado next week.”  
Shit “I will receive payment first. Then I go.”  “Yes. We will transfer it tomorrow morning.”  “Then very well.” his voice trailed off as he vanished into the shadows.  
Okay, so he now had less than a week to silence Talon. Less time than he’d planned for. he didn’t have time for breaks anymore, this was going to be a grind all the way to the finish. His plan was this: Take out one member of the chain of command, the disruption will cause the management to go into shock. He’d studied the command chain for almost 3 years now, one key player goes missing and it all falls apart. Next, he would deal with the lower members, absorbing them as he went, gaining more power for the showdown between the final commanders and finally, the boss. After everyone was dead, he’d extract all the information Talon had on everything and destroy the base and everyone in it. The plan had been in the works for years now, and had taken a lot of time - and energy. He had to start immediately.  
The toughest part of taking down Talon would most likely be the fight with Widowmaker. As soon as she got wind of a commander’s death, she’d be right on his trail. It was almost a shame that she had to die, she’s a very clean shot. He’d never allowed himself to be too friendly to anyone, knowing from the start that his intention was revenge. 

Reaper got to work on preparing the death of the commander. He had a secret room that was walled off years ago, which he could smoke in and out of. He had taught himself to carry objects, and had a cache of guns, supplies, food (mostly cans of beans) and a simple bedding setup. No one knew about the room, not even the commanders. They knew some sections of the building had been walled off, but they never suspected that anyone could get in, or out. Considering the base was underground, a perfect hiding spot right under Talon’s nose. Save the shotguns he usually carried, Reaper also had a few sniper rifles, grenades, automatic rifles and a silenced pistol. He favoured the smallest weapon, as it was quiet. But the other ones could come in handy. The supplies consisted of some stronger armour, which he would forego a shirt to wear under his thick coat, bandages, stitches and other simple medical supplies, just incase it all went south and he needed to patch himself up quickly. Although eating regular food did little to nothing for him, he still opted to save up some high-energy snacks. The energy is what he needed, even a small chocolate bar could go a long way in a battle. Provided he restricted his output enough. When he had to eat humans, he rarely ever killed them himself, he didn’t want to add more bodies to the count. He instead waited until the Talon agents killed, then fed on them. Still morally wrong, but not as bad. He did his best to keep up the  
‘ruthless killer’ act, but the pressure it put on him was enormous. Even being in Blackwatch, he hated the killing. So many people died for nothing, or so the UN could cover its tracks. The whole thing was a mess. Overwatch, Talon, all the organisations.  
He slid his thick gloves off his hands and removed the jacket. He didn’t need a mirror to see the scars. Each one a story in his mind. His once golden skin now grey and lifeless. He removed the mask, the straps left small indents in the thick black hair that was beginning to grey. His face even more scarred than it used to be, new scars covering his left side, mouth, nose, and small patches of skin missing from the top of his left ear. Pretty much the only things that hadn’t changed were his beard (although some scarring prevented hair from regrowing) and his soft eyes. Although they had a feint red glow, which grew in intensity as he got more hungry. His eyes had seen so many things. both good and bad. He picked up one of the armoured vests and slid it onto his body, a tight but comfortable fit. he stretched his arms above his head to test his mobility. Still pretty good. He put his jacket back on, then his mask, pulled his hood up over his head and slid his hands back into the clawed gloves. Picking up a few snacks and shoving them into his pockets, he grabbed some weapons and fitted them to his body. Completely concealed. He added the medical supplies to the inside pockets of his jacket and when he was sure that he was ready, he vanished back through the vent. 

Back at Overwatch, 76 was pacing quietly up and down his room. He had locked the door and despite the worried calls from his team mates from outside, he let no one in. He knew that McCree wouldn’t talk about what happened in the room earlier, but that couldn't mask that 76 had stormed to his room and locked the door without talking to anyone after the interrogation was over. The same thoughts just echoed over and over again in his mind: Gabriel was alive. It wasn’t his fault. He’s trying to find answers. Or he hoped that was the truth anyway. After he got back from whatever he was doing to Talon, the two would be able to talk openly, find out information that the other knew. 76 clenched his fists. He was fighting the constant urge to go help Reaper. They used to know each other’s style like the back of their hands, used to fuse together in a flurry of bullets, words not needing to be exchanged. They had been so close. Until Gabriel was demoted and replaced by Morrison. That’s what kicked everything off.  
His train of thought was interrupted by a more subtle knock at the door than anyone else had offered. “I know what you’re thinking of doing.” McCree’s voice was quietened by the door, but still came through clear in the soldier’s ears.  
“And your verdict?” He slumped himself against the door.  
“I think you should do it. Talon have been a thorn in our side since day 1.”  
“Don’t tell anyone I’m gone.”  
“I’d never dream of it.”  
Soldier:76 gathered some extra ammunition and clambered out his open window, eager to find Gabriel. He headed to the last Talon base he had been at, they would have the location of the main base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Pour quelqu'un d'aussi bon que vous?” FRENCH - Even for someone as great as you?


	3. The Executioner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reaper prepares his plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there. I wanted to try writing a slightly longer chapter, please tell me how it went. As usual, translations are in the footnotes. Please let me know if any of my Spanish/french is wrong. I got the French from google because I don't know any French people, and the Spanish was a combination of my own knowledge and filling in the gaps with google.

“Do you really think this is a good idea?”   
“I’m sure of it, Tienes mi palabra.”   
“C’mon, Gabe, you know I don’t understand you when you talk Spanish.”   
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop.” 

Reaper smiled to himself, He almost had Morrison somewhat competent in Spanish. He’d get to talk to him soon enough. “¿algunas últimas palabras?” He hissed at a higher guard of Talon.   
“What?” The guard replied, he was genuinely confused. Good. Reaper slit the guards throat with one of his metal tipped-fingers. He’d have to throw his morals out the window for a while. He reached out to close the man’s eyes with his fingers “Merecías mejor” he whispered as he stole the life that the man once had. He felt himself grow ever so slightly stronger. This was good. He needed the strength to kill the commander. These people may be bad,but they don’t deserve to lose their souls. He really did believe that they deserve better. The guard had given him something to work with: He knew exactly where the commander would be at 1800.   
To get into the commander's inner circle, he had to play the part. No one knew what his face looked like, it was the perfect plan. He took the clothes of the guard he just killed back to his safe room and put them on. He had been careful to choose a guard with a similar build to his own, so the uniform would fit him like a glove. Using the helmet to conceal his scarred face, the meal he just ate returned some of the colour to his skin, now looking somewhat tanned. Well, at least his skin wasn’t grey anymore, it would help him to blend in. The less hungry he was, the more human he became. Reyes didn't fully understand what he had become, but he knew that he'd start to decompose further if he got too hungry. He’d come very close to dying again once. Not long after he had become this monster. He had realised how wrong it was, the maniac he was becoming. He stopped eating people for a few days, his skin was falling off his bones and it hurt. It hurt so much that he resorted to spending days at a time in Wraith Form. Until his body couldn’t take it any more and he was running on fumes. It was kill or be killed. After that he mainly just ate people who were already dead. People that the Talon guards killed, or people that he had to kill in defence. There had been a time, that he enjoyed killing. Where he almost lost the human left in him. But that was past him now.. 

Reaper smirked and made his way back out to the main floors of the compound. He made his way over to the hall where the commander was meant to be in a few hours, taking up a spare post in a line of guards.   
"Never seen you 'round before." A voice growled   
"New post" Reaper gritted his teeth "sir." It had been a long time since he had to address anyone formally, but he played his part - as the perfect little soldier doing his job perfectly because that's what earns you a promotion that crushes your best friend and makes him feel abandoned.   
"Very well, just make sure you don't fuck it up, rookie." He hissed.   
The urge to reach out and snap that guy's neck was almost unbearable. If only he knew who he was talking to... He took a breath and straightened his back. He gave a small nod and the guard turned and kept walking down the line. 

The 2 hours that followed felt like 20 to Reyes. His eyes hurt from constantly scanning the room for new threats - flaws in the plan. When he was certain that no one was suspicious, he disappeared into the shadows of the walls and waited for the General who should be arriving at any minute. In the 2 hours that he stood there, he listened to a lot of rumours that were going around Talon: There were plans to attack Overwatch further, plans to take over some of the old Omnic plants and also a rumour that Soldier: 76 was close to capture. He laughed quietly at the last one. Jack could be dumb at times, but never faltered in a battle plan. Catching Jack Morrison was even harder than catching Gabriel Reyes. Both ghosts of past glory working to find answers. When the commander finally did emerge, Reaper took his time, taking out guards that were the most out of sight - he felt himself grow stronger. More alive. It was time to kill the commander.   
He turned to shadows and crawled up the wall onto the floor above where the commander was standing, he planned to drop from above, choking the man until he stopped breathing. What he wasn’t planning on was the slender figure standing before him. A flaw in the plan. A tactical error.   
“And what do you think you’re doing?” She cooed, all Reaper could see were those golden eyes staring back at him.   
“Taking a break.” He grunted  
“Materialise. I want to see what you’re really up to.” She blinked slowly and cocked her head to the side   
Reaper put himself back together and crossed his arms “Guess I can’t hide your sights forever.”   
“No. I have a feeling I know what you’re going to do. And I’m here to stop you.”   
“Why? They turned you into what you are, why help them?”   
“Because I owe them my life. A connection that runs deeper than you could ever comprehend.”   
“Fine. Try stop me.” He laughed quietly and cracked his neck. 

The two stared each other down for a few silent seconds before Widowmaker lashed out. It was true what they said, she was exactly like a spider launching toward its prey to make the final killing strike. He fainted left without as much as a grunt. Reaper had been smart to watch how she fought, but he knew she had done the same. He didn’t retaliate, instead letting her strike again and again, not to tire her out, but to frustrate her.   
“Fight back, you morceau de merde!” She growled as her visor retracted and Reaper saw the fire in her eyes. He grinned and removed the helmet, letting the spider see his scarred features, though pale, she could tell who he was. “I see. You old soldiers living past glories are all coming back lately.”   
“I’m just a guy looking for answers.” He grinned as he tightened his body into the fighting stance he’d practiced since he was just a kid.  
“You’ve aged well.” She hissed as her fist connected with Reyes’ jaw, causing him to stumble back a step. “Bit clumsy, though.”   
The blow wasn’t too hard, but it still caused him to see stars for a split second. He wasn’t expecting that. Shit. He ducked under the next punch and turned to strike the back of the woman’s knee, she fell to the ground and laughed as her face hit the floor. Reaper stood up and Widowmaker lifted her face, blood trickled from her nose. Before she could get up, he was on top of her back, sitting firmly on her back. She felt the cool metal of a knife at the nape of her neck. All he felt was the spiked heel of her boot connect with the back of his head, lightly puncturing the skin on the back of his scalp. He felt the sting of cold air hitting freshly opened flesh, he blinked the sensation away and leaned back to grab Widowmaker’s legs. He pulled them up to rest on his shoulders, before violently bringing her legs down to the sides. She grunted as her kneecaps slid out of place and Reaper leaned in close to her head, his warm breath brushing against her neck. “Put up a better fight, next time, araña. Nosotros, los viejos soldados poner una buena pelea.” He chucked as he stood up and left Widowmaker to pop her kneecaps back into place.   
“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.” She whispered as he prowled off deep into the darkness. 

Reaper knew there would be another confrontation soon. But he had bought himself enough time to kill the commander who was now in the perfect position. Reyes dropped down from the ceiling onto the man and twisted his neck to the side in a single, sharp motion. There was a moment of silence and disbelief before the guards launched themselves at him, cries of murder erupting from the ranks. The poorly trained soldiers didn’t put up much of a fight, the only problem being that the sheer number of them, swarming Reyes like ants to a carcass. Every one of those soldiers that he killed made him even stronger, the life returning to his body. He was finally gaining a one-up on his constant battle between life and death. His golden skin returned and he felt his own heart beating in a constant rhythm that he hadn’t heard for months. The guilt of all the killing weighing on his chest like a ton of bricks, but he didn’t have time to let it get to him. Running back to his safe room, he felt the unfamiliar stress of ragged breathing and pain in his chest, he grinned and pushed through the shortness of breath. A guard stood in the way of the next hallway, his gun poised to shoot Reaper. But he was faster, sliding under the guards legs as he shot and coming back up behind him to grab him by the back of the neck. “You get two choices, soldados. Live or die.”   
“And what if I choose live?” The soldier breathed, his poorly concealed fear present in his tone.   
Reaper chuckled “When I say live.. I mean while I hunt you down for fun. before I kill you.” He hadn’t said anything that sadistic in a while, he relished in the feeling while being disgusted at the same time. He was so tired of being Talon’s plaything. He felt his fingers dig into the guards neck, a small yelp escaping the guards mouth.   
“Then I guess it’s game on, old man.” The guard hissed as he kicked at Reaper’s knee and ran off down the hall. Fuck. This wasn’t what he had planned at all. Everything he had planned was falling to shit. Reaper took off down the hall, his footsteps becoming silent as he turned to smoke and sped toward the guard. While in his Wraith Form, he could see everything. Hear everything. Locating the guard was a very easy task, if he really wanted this to be a game, he would have stayed in his solid form. He materialised in front of the guard and shook his head while smiling, his eyes glowing and smoke rising from the top of his head. The guard stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide and his breathing frantic.   
Reaper leaned in close to the guard and whispered “Caught you”. He touched a hand to the guards forehead and took in his energy. Another pest off the list he thought to himself as he entered a nearby vent and made his way back to the saferoom. 

When he returned he immediately cleaned the wound that Widowmaker’s boot had caused him, who knows what she could have had on the tip of her shoe. He touched the area before determining that it was relatively safe and moved on to a few minor scratches that the fights with the guards had caused. The amount of energy that he had collected would easily last for a week, given that the next 2 days he would be laying low. He just had to ration the energy and make sure that no one found him. That was an almost impossible task, they’d have to tear down every wall in the base, and then another layer. Talon wouldn’t go to such lengths, they’d never suspect it from the start. Reyes stared at himself in the mirror, his scarred body looking more alive than it had in months. The patches of skin missing from his ear had repaired themselves, his scarred torso from where he had been cut open glowing with a warm heat, his organs working almost normally. The only non-human part of him right now was the ashen taste in the back of his throat, and the constant emptiness in his stomach. He smiled weakly and looked at his face. His messy hair now having streaks of grey running through it and the patches of grey in his beard that surrounded the scars on his face. He touched the long scars that he had since before Overwatch, when he was still in training. 

-

“Get up, Morrison, we’re not done yet.”  “But your face, we need to stop.”   
“Not until one of us is too weak to fight.”  “This is wrong.”  “This is training.”  A flurry of punches and kicks, connecting with both soldiers. Of course Reyes wouldn’t give up after getting a cut that opened his cheek. His jaw bone was visible, Jack held back the feelings of guilt as he made a low sweep for Gabriel’s feet. He jumped over it and smiled before landing an uppercut straight under Jack’s jaw. Jack was a panting mess on the floor, Gabriel, an equally panting mess was standing over the top of him, his body in a constant state of readiness. But his face. Jack could see how much pain Gabriel was in, not just from the cut but from how much pain he was causing his friend. 

“Show no mercy, Reyes.” A voice boomed from outside the ring   
“He’s too weak, we’re done here.” Gabriel growled as he crouched down to help Jack to his feet.   
“Very well. You and your.. lover won’t get any dinner tonight. Learn to fight for yourself, Reyes.”   
Gabriel picked Jack up with little effort and carried him out of the room, Jack was fading in and out of consciousness, but his eyes still stared up at Gabriel in wonder and that stupid smile was plastered across his bloody face.   
Gabriel stumbled into the infirmary and placed Jack onto a spare bed before collapsing into another. Nurses and doctors flooded the room, tending to wounds and giving Gabriel a gas that knocked him out. 

Jack looked over from his bed to see his friend’s face, stitches being sewn into his cheek where Jack had slashed him with a knife. He didn’t mean for it to go so deep. He didn’t mean to hurt him. He felt warm tears running down his face before his sight went black and he heard the doctors calling his name, drifting ever further away before he finally blacked out. 

When Jack woke up, he looked over to where he last saw Gabriel. He wasn’t there. Shit.   
“Other side, stupid.” A horse voice cracked. Jack turned his head to look at Gabriel, the right side of his face swollen and his eye nose bloody. “You really did a number on me, this time, Morrison.”   
“I.. I’m sorry.” He choked out before realising how stiff his jaw was, he closed his mouth slowly and winced.   
“It’s fine. A learning experience.” He padded the swollen skin and smiled weakly. He reached a closed hand out to Jack. “Take it.” He said as he tossed a bar of chocolate onto Jack’s chest.   
‘Where did you get this?” He asked as he unwrapped the sweet and carefully took a bite, the warmth from Gabriel’s hand had made it soft and easy to eat.   
“I had it on me. I already ate mine.” His smile grew and he eased himself to sit up taller.   
Jack laughed softly “He called me your lover.”   
“Well it’s not exactly a lie.”   
“I guess they’re gonna find out sooner or later.”  “What, that the top two soldiers are gay?” Jack laughed and thought of all the slander they’d received for just being friends. For a unit that promoted tight bonds, their commander was more focused on pitting the team against one-another. He was a bitter old man who was jealous of the super soldiers. He wanted to break them, to send them rogue. But behind his back, the whole team was as close as a family. Not close enough to tell them about their relationship though.. 

The next day Gabriel was feeling well enough to come up with a plan. Jack hated his plans. They always involved something borderline wrong. Gabriel sat next to Jack on his bed, his hand softly resting on his leg. “Commander Johnson didn’t let us eat last night. Or this morning. I say” Gabriel leaned in close to jacks face, his nose resting just above Jack’s ear “we go raid the stocks.”   
“I’m just as hungry as you are, Gabe. But if he catches us..”   
“He won’t. You forget who we are, Jack.” The soft touch of his lips against his ear sent chills down Jack’s body.   
“Super soldiers.” He breathed “He will never get the better of any of us.”   
“Exactly!” Gabriel smiled   
“Your words to the team really had a huge impact, Gabe. You’re a good leader.”   
“Thank you. Now let’s get you out of this bed.” He said as he scooped Jack up, blanket and all and sat him upright. “Whenever you’re ready.”   
Jack looked at Gabriel and swung his legs over the side of the bed “This is wrong.”   
“Come on, boy scout.” Reaper cooed quietly.   
“Fuck you” Jack hissed as he stood from the bed   
“Wouldn’t that just make your day.” Gabriel raised an eyebrow at Jack, he threw a pair of boots at his feet. 

The two headed out hand in hand to get some food. Gabriel shook his hand free and turned the heavy door handle to the pantry.   
“Do you really think this is a good idea?”   
“I’m sure of it, Tienes mi palabra.”   
“C’mon, Gabe, you know I don’t understand you when you talk Spanish.”   
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:   
> SPANISH:   
> Tienes mi palabra - You have my word   
> ¿algunas últimas palabras? - Any last words?   
> Merecías mejor - You deserve(d) better   
> araña - Spider  
> Nosotros, los viejos soldados poner una buena pelea. - We old soldiers put up a good fight  
> soldados - Soldier
> 
>  
> 
> FRENCH:   
> morceau de merde! - Piece of shit


	4. The Second Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gay dads meet again and it gets mildly gay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, translations are at the end notes.

Reyes opened his eyes, stretching his arms and spreading his toes. It had been 2 days since he murdered the commander and the base started to calm down. It was assumed that Reaper was long gone, and he knew that Widowmaker wouldn’t have told any higher-ups.. just yet. Reyes rubbed his eyes, hand brushing over the scars. He smiled when he touched the scars that Jack gave him. He’d see him soon. They’d talk. Everything would be okay. Jack did nothing wrong. He did nothing wrong. He did nothing-   
No. He was the reason he was this thing. It was Jack’s fault. Or it was Talon’s. Reaper grunted in confusion. He’d have his answers soon enough. The years of confusion and frustration, of playing the terrorist. It was almost over. He was almost free. Not of his curse, but of this chapter of his life. 

The soft clink of boots on concrete was masked by the steady beat of the rain. The man stalked through the building quietly, not so careful to conceal the steps when the weather was doing it for him. It had taken 3 days to get to the base, completely undetected. He had to help Reyes, he needed answers too. The base seemed to be on high alert, guards posted at all possible entries, what had he done? The lightning illuminated the spot that Soldier: 76 was hiding. He froze, hoping that no one had seen him, when one of the guards turned his head to look in his direction, 76 ducked behind the wall he was standing side-on to. He pressed his back firmly against the cold wall and listened for footsteps. It was hard to hear over the rain, but not impossible, the guard wasn’t exactly quiet. 76 looked up frantically and saw an open window a story up. He jumped, gripping the windowsill and pulled himself up into the small room. He watched from the room as the guard rounded the corner, looking into the small alleyway below the window. 76 kept his back to the wall, but his head on an angle where he could see the surroundings clearly. The guard gave up his search and went back to his post. 76 smiled to himself and turned to take in the surroundings of the room. A wall completely covered in shelves. Hard drives filled the shelves and they were all categorised. He was surprised that Talon had such a sophisticated system for filing. He quickly skimmed over the file names. Nothing important, it would be dumb to keep the important files in such an obvious location. He cursed under his breath and pressed his back up against the door. From what he could hear, there wasn’t anyone outside. Good. He cracked the door open silently and peered outside. There wasn’t any sign of human life in the dark hall. Just to be sure, he tapped a small button on his visor, the world turning red and the layout of the building becoming clear. No guards in the hall, good. Knowing that his visor would be visible, he pressed the button again and the world went dark. He felt for the wall and slipped out of the room, careful to move as quietly as possible, underneath where security cameras would see. 

The soft,worn leather of 76’s jacket rubbed against itself, making a small squeaking noise. If he wanted to blend in, he would have to remove it. He’d have to find a guard carrying a backpack. A feat, as he discovered, was easier said than done. It took half an hour to find an appropriate guard, who matched both his own stature and had a small, black backpack on his back. 76 smiled softly under his visor and threw a pebble he had been carrying around to attract the attention of his victim. Just as he had planned, the guard left to investigate the noise, walking right into 76’s line of sight. He sprinted over to the guard, with silent precision and wrapped his arm around the man’s neck. Bringing his left hand up to support his wrist, he tightened his grip on the guard’s neck. He put pressure on the struggling man’s neck, waiting until he stopped moving. He carried the guard out of site, laying his unconscious body softly on the ground and removed his jacket, helmet, and boots. He had no interest in the rest of the clothes, his own would suffice. He wasn’t a cruel man, even to a Talon agent. Stuffing his jacket, boots, and visor into the bag, he zipped it up and put the new clothes on. He slung the backpack over his shoulder and headed toward the main complex. 

The helmet was warm against his face, a cooling breeze came through the intake vent. It felt much more enclosed than his visor, but 76 blended in well enough. He joined a line of guards heading into the building and followed those in front of him, careful not to miss a step or falter. He followed instructions from a commander, who told him and a handful of other guards to patrol the West corridor for signs of the intruder. 76 had been no where near the West side of the building, why would they look there? The answer hit him like a ton of bricks - Reyes. He was the intruder hiding in the West wing of the building. 

76 was placed at the end of the line, he had unknowingly picked a low-ranking guard’s uniform and was placed at the back to ‘learn how it’s done’. Like he could learn anything from these people. He could easily kill them without their knowledge, and get away with it. He played his role and softly dragged his boots across the floor, to make his footsteps more clumsy and made sure to look around much more than necessary. There was only one other low-ranking guard there, he looked even more nervous than 76 pretended to be. Must be his first time on patrol.   
“This guy sounds strong,” the second guard whispered to 76, tilting his head back to make an attempt at eye contact.   
“You won’t need to find out if you keep your eyes forward and keep moving.” 76 hissed back. He probably should have said something a little more unaware, but it was clear to the other guard that he was much older than him.   
“Sheesh. No need to be so rude about it.”   
“Did you join this organisation to be nice?”  “No, I guess not.. But.”  “But nothing, keep your eyes forward and mouth shut next time.”  The young guard didn’t say as much as a word for the next 20 minutes. That guard was just a kid. What was a child doing working for Talon? 76 pushed the thought out of his head and continued on. 

Suddenly, he felt a warm arm wrap around his body, and a hand cover his mouth. Shit. He’d been found out. He let himself be dragged around the corner, out of sight of the line of guards before elbowing his assailant hard in the stomach, allowing him enough time to grab onto their arm and flip them over his head. The attacker landed on their - his back with a loud thud and an audible groan. The man on the ground rolled over and got up like nothing had happened. The two made attack after attack, countering each one perfectly, no one had ever done this before. Not unless they had trained under the same commander.. Gabriel? The attacker kept throwing punch after punch, only a select few hitting 76. Gabriel was always the better fighter out of the two. 76 raised his hands in surrender, the attacker laughed softly and wrapped a firm hand around 76’s throat. Instead of struggling, he raised his hands and lifted the helmet off of his head, the grip on his neck softened for a moment before tightening again.   
-  
Those damn blue eyes. Fucking Jack. ruining his plans again. Gabriel took a moment to take in his features, replacing old memories with these new images of his face. The scars that covered it, the wrinkles he now had. He loved this face as much as he loved the Jack before they died. He sighed heavily and released his grip. It was his fault he was like this. Or it wasn’t.. He’d know soon.. Just a little longer. He dipped his head for a moment. “Why are you here?”   
“You can’t take down an entire terrorist organisation on your own, Gabriel.” Jack smiled, placing a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder.   
He immediately swept the hand off of his shoulder. “You could have at least told me first before coming down here like this.” He hated when Jack did shit like this. He hated it and loved him for it. He had cared enough to risk his own life to help. Even after everything the bond they shared was still so tight. Good memories were pouring in, his eyes tearing up. The feeling of happiness was replaced by sudden anger. Whatever control Talon had over him was tightening. He clicked his tongue and sighed “Always interrupting my plans.”   
Jack rolled his eyes “Are you going to accept my offer or not?”   
“Yes.” Gabriel said softly as he turned around “You can help. Now, put your helmet back on, we have work to do.”  Jack walked silently behind Gabriel, matching his steps perfectly. They walked in silence for 5 long minutes, questions burning in both of their minds, but they both held their tongues, just like they had been told to do when they were still young. Both men kept quiet as they rounded a corner and took a pair of guards by surprise. Gabriel told Jack to look away as he stole the life from the guard. Jack didn’t listen. He was disturbed by what had just happened and Gabriel gave him a look that told him to listen next time.   
“What happened to you?” Jack finally blurted out. “I mean.. Why are you taking these people’s energy?”   
“Ask Ziegler, she's the one who did this.” Gabriel growled as he said her name.  
“Are you at least going to tell me what we’re doing?”  “Patience, Morrison. Just follow me for a little longer. It’s not safe to talk here.” He cocked his head in the direction of a security camera, red light blinking rhythmically.   
Just like he had said, they only had to walk for another few minutes before they reached a vent on the wall. “Wait here.” Gabriel said as he turned to smoke and disappeared into the vent. A few minutes later, Jack heard the lock on a door down the corridor click open and Gabriel stepped out. He motioned for Jack to come over to him and locked the door behind them. The whole in the ceiling was easy to miss, that was the whole point. Jack climbed up the wall in the darkened room and followed Gabriel carefully through the rafters and dropped down equally small hole into Gabriel’s safe room.   
“How can you be sure they won’t find us here?” Jack asked, brushing the dust off of his hands   
“Did you not notice how complicated our route was? I’m going to set up decoy rooms just in case they manage to find the hole. Don’t worry, the biggest risk here was bringing your white-ass in here.” Gabriel laughed softly before pausing with his hands on the edges of the helmet. “Are you comfortable seeing me? I mean, it’s not too bad now… but.”   
Jack tilted his head to one side “Gabe, You saw me. I ain’t as good looking as I used to be. I’m sure you’re in better shape.”   
Gabriel sighed and lifted the helmet, his skin was beginning to grey again, but it wasn’t too bad “I change.. When I don’t eat enough. You came at a good time. I’m not sure I could show you what I can become.” His eyes showed a sadness that Jack picked up, placing a hand on Gabriel’s cheek, he brushed his thumb over the scar he accidentally gave him that day. Gabriel flinched slightly at his gentle touch before leaning into Jack’s hand, closing his eyes and smiling. Gabriel felt for the bottom of Jack’s helmet and lifted it to show his face “Not fair that I can’t look at you” he murmured, eyes still closed.   
“Your eyes aren’t even open.” Jack laughed, resting his forehead against Gabriel’s.   
Alarms interrupted the calm silence of the moment. Through the walls, they could hear that a guard had gone missing - Jack. Gabriel moved away from Jack, putting his helmet back on. “Wait here, cabrón.” He chimed as he disappeared through the vent and out into the hallway. 

Moving through the maze of vents, Gabriel smiled. Being with Jack again, it was good. While it lasts. His mind spat the words at him like venom, he grunted. The answers were so close. A little more complicated now that he had both the added security and Jack, but close nonetheless. He materialised down a corridor and broke into a run, reaching a group of nearby guards.   
“Where have you been, soldier?” A higher-guard asked angrily.   
“I thought I saw something.” Gabriel straightened his back, squaring up against the guard.   
“Stick with the group, or your head is on the block.”  “Yes.. Sir.” 

The group that he had joined roamed the corridors, checking every door, every room. A guard leaned over to him “I heard Reaper is behind the attacks. Corrupted by Overwatch. What new technology are those sick bastards cooking up in there?”  
Gabriel tensed for a minute. They really thought he was behind it. Damn it. “I’ve heard similar” was all he said before trying to figure out how to get this over and done with.   
“I’ve also heard that he’s got Widowmaker wrapped around his finger. The two of them taking us on scares the crap outta me.”   
He almost snorted. Widowmaker, the very woman who tried to stop him just a few days ago was rumoured to be on his side. “I don’t know how much truth that one holds. Where are you getting all this from?”   
The leader of the group told the group to split up in pairs, the soldier that was just talking to Reyes made no hesitation to cling to his side. Was he suspicious? 

They walked together for a while, rounding corners and making small talk. He talked about how he heard that Reaper got his power from working at a graveyard as a kid. He had to hold back laughter.   
“That’s not true, kid.” He gave the guard a playful jab in the side with his elbow.   
“Oh yeah, how can you be so sure, mister wise guy?”   
“I know him personally.”  “You work for him? Are you here to sabotage us?”  “I don’t work for him. I am him.”   
The guard took off in a sprint down the hall, Gabriel was quick to materialise in front of him “I just want to talk. I want information. Whether or not you cooperate is your choice.”   
“Will you kill me?”   
“Maybe. Depends on how things go” Gabriel sat down against the wall and invited the guard to join him, he obliged. Even with the helmet, he could smell the man’s fear. “calmarse, chico. I haven’t even cuffed you.”   
“Just ask me your questions.” He hissed   
‘Watch your tone!” he hissed back. “First of all, I’ve never worked at a graveyard. Secondly, Overwatch didn’t corrupt me. I joined talon for answers, and here I am getting them.” He stayed vague while still trying to befriend the guard, gain his trust. He needed him to talk.   
The guard breathed heavily “It’s only speculation that you’re behind this, sir. The death of the commander threw everything into a frenzy and not much has really gotten done to fix it. The higher-ups don’t believe it, because of your past.. record. Making yourself scarce honestly hasn’t helped your case.” He paused, whispering an apology for being so forward.   
“Is this all the information you have? I’m trusting you to tell me. Otherwise.. We’ll take a more drastic course.” Gabriel felt the guard shudder. This kid wasn’t Talon material at all. What was he doing here?   
“Yeah.. I think so.” He seemed genuine. A kid like this wouldn’t have the skill to mask lies to him. Not even Jesse did when he picked him up.   
“I’m going to cut you a deal, you can live. But if I even catch a whisper of you opening your mouth about this, I will hunt you down and make sure your death is slow.” He stood up “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m off to talk to someone.” He was a ruthless killer, but no need to be rude to someone who cooperated. He walked back down the hall, finding a nearby vent and working his way back to the safe room, where jack was lying on the bed having a nap.   
Gabriel took this chance to take the guard’s uniform off and put his own clothes back on. He left his mask off and shook Jack lightly. He opened his sapphire eyes slowly and sat up.   
“Glad to see you made yourself at home.” Gabriel said in a mocking tone.   
“What else was I meant to do?”   
“I see your point. But I need to go speak to someone.” He put his mask on as he talked “You can go back to sleep if you want, I’ll be back in an hour or so.” He brushed his thumb over Jack’s cheek, his leather glove cold agains Jack’s skin.   
Gabriel turned to the vent and disappeared through it. 

Walking down the long corridor to the head of Talon, Reaper put himself in the proper mindset. He was a ruthless killer. He never showed any mercy. He was not Gabriel Reyes anymore. Something in his mind snapped, what was he even doing? Keeping Jack in his safe room. Keeping him alive. He had killed him. Jack Morrison was the enemy. Reaper threw the large door to the head’s room open.   
“What is this bullshit going around that I’m behind the attacks?!” He growled   
“It’s nothing more than chatter among the guards - They have their theories.”   
“I know for a fact that Soldier 76 is involved in this.”  “Oh, and how can you be so sure?”   
“Because I know exactly where he is.” Shit. His mind cleared. Why did he say that. Talon had a tighter hold on him than he thought. Thank god he had the mask on, because he now had a few precious seconds to think of somewhere to make up Jack’s location.   
“Then kill him.”   
“Not without payment.” A better outcome than he had expected. He thought he’d have to take some guards to his fake location. At least with money he could fake Jack’s death and keep the money.   
“Fine. You’ll receive the money tomorrow.”   
“Then I will be leaving. Ill report back to you when he is dead.”   
Reaper walked out of the room with a quiet step. He knew he now had about 3 days at the most to destroy Talon. The head will get suspicious if it takes any longer than that. He headed back to his safe room and stood over a sleeping Jack. 

He is Gabriel Reyes. He was still in there.. Jack was helping. He didn’t kill him. His name was Gabriel Reyes. He had died 5 years ago. Jack Morrison was the enemy. He killed him. He was Reaper now. He would have revenge. No. He would find answers. He would burn Talon to the ground. He would burn Overwatch to the ground. He felt his mind longing for Jack.. for his blood. He left the room. He would sleep somewhere else tonight. Somewhere where Jack would be safe. He was a monster. He should have never come back from the dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cabrón - Dumbass  
> Calmarse, chico - Calm down, kid.


	5. Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting into the meat of this fic finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so rushed and badly written i'm so sorry.  
> Translations at the end

“Gabbi c’mon give me my boots back, I can’t walk over there my socks will get wet!”  “Hazer, cabrón”  
 “I know enough Spanish to know that that was a smartass comment, Gabriel. Now throw me my boots.”   
“Where are your manners, farm-boy?”   
“Don’t you raise your eyebrows at me, Reyes. Please get over here.”  Gabriel hopped over the puddle of water in the bathroom with Jack’s boots. “What did I tell you about putting a towel on the floor?” Gabriel placed the boots in front of Jack’s feet, standing up, he grabbed Jack by the waist and pulled him close. “I guess this time I’ll forgive you” he whispered as he kissed the end of Jack’s nose.   
Jack carefully pushed himself off of Gabriel and sat down in the hallway to put his boots on. “Now now. Today is important. We find out who will lead the Overwatch program."   
Gabe scoffed "Well of course it's going to be you, Jack. Everyone likes you."   
"Maybe. But there are other people far better than myself." He slid his foot into the first boot and fumbled with the laces a bit before breathing out loudly "Like you."   
"Me?" Gabriel almost laughed "I may top you in every way imaginable, but they're not gonna pick me over you."  
"Well I guess we'll see." Jack smiled as he stood up and headed toward the door "You're going to have to take that dumb beanie off for the ceremony, Reyes."  
The man in question rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue "Sí , mamá. lo que usted diga. Seriously. You act like my mother sometimes." He took his beanie off and played with his curly mess of hair for a moment before deciding he was happy with it and joined Jack at the door. He lazily tossed the hat across the room on to the couch before stepping out into the hallway of the complex. He softly brushed his fingers over Jacks, who returned the gesture by grabbing Gabriel’s hand and locking their fingers together. They both enjoyed the warm touch of the other’s hand in their own. The two walked down the long corridor and when they reached the elevator, Gabriel shook Jack’s hand off and pressed the down arrow. They had to be careful about their relationship. All that would change soon. Once they were out of training. They were almost free. It was lucky that Gabriel separated the two, because when the door opened, two of their CO’s were standing in the lift, giving a small nod to both men as they entered the elevator themselves. The ride down to the ground floor was silent. Only a few seconds long, but the silence made it feel like hours. The group stepped out of the elevator into the lobby of the compound. Bright, colourful flowers lined the walls and the place had been touched up for the ceremony. The group walked across the marble UN emblem on the ground and through the wooden auditorium doors.   
-  
Gabriel opened his eyes slowly, Jack was pressed against his side in a deep sleep. He vaguely remembered pushing Jack to the side, trying not to wake him, and slipping into bed himself. He sat up and rubbed his face. He needed air, his body felt tight. He scooted out of bed and put his armoured clothing on. He left the room in a cloud of smoke, his body screaming for oxygen. He had spent too much time underground. The oxygen helped to keep his body in tact. The talon base was located in the middle of a large forest where he could take his mask off without being seen and breathe for a while. He walked among the trees, deeper and deeper into the forest, until he felt safe. He took his mask off and took a deep breath in through his nose. Exhaling, a cloud of dark smoke escaped his mouth and nose. He needed to cleanse his body every few days at the latest. The nano machines keeping him alive couldn't handle large amounts of carbon dioxide and he had to release it. A little harder now that Jack was here, he couldn’t just do it in his room, he’d run the risk of suffocating Jack.   
Good.   
The rage grew in his stomach. A warm glow of hate toward Jack. If Jack had never taken over as Strike Commander, then he would have never ended up in Blackwatch. If he had never been in Blackwatch, he would have never been part of Talon. Was it a good thing? Or a bad thing? He just knew that without Jack taking over he never would have become this monster. A constant battle between life and death, his body always struggling to keep him alive even when he didn’t want it. His body never let him die. He just wanted to die sometimes. It hurt to live. It hurt to have his body constantly fighting itself. He was just so tired. And now, with Jack back? It was even harder to re live the memories. To believe that he was alive. He should have killed him when he had the chance. But instead he wimped out and shielded Jack from the brunt of the explosion. Jack was probably the one who insisted he was brought back from the dead. Dr. Ziegler though. She was the one who made the mistake. Using him as an experiment. He would make her suffer, but no amount of suffering would ever match what he’s been through since that explosion. 

Gabriel sat underneath a tall pine tree. He took out his comm system and waited for the holographic interphase to blink to life. He had to check if the payment went through to kill Jack. He opened his mail and smirked slightly when he saw the transfer had been successful. Underneath the conformation was a statement:    
Bring me his head.   
-

There was a quiet chatter inside. People’s families, recruitment agents, media and the general public filled the chairs. Jack and Gabriel made their way to their seats in the first few rows of seats. Reserved for the graduates. They had been sorted by their last names, meaning that the two would be separated for the ceremony. Gabriel turned the piece of paper with the names of his chosen captains in his pocket. Every graduate had been required to choose their second and third on the chance that they were chosen. The ceremony was not to run overtime. It was to be a quick, formal event which changes the course of this war. The head CO’s voice pounded in his head, he had drilled them for the last few days about this ceremony. It had to be perfect. The piece of paper was to be handed to the CO by the chosen graduate and their choices read out for the world to hear. Gabriel was left to stare at the back of Jack’s head in the row in front of him. Even just seeing his golden hair helped to calm him down. The ceremony begun. The various speakers made their speeches and the medals were given out. Jack had earned most of them. Just as Gabriel had expected. Gabriel had earned a medal for being top of the class and most skilled in a tactical environment. After countless medals and awards had been given out, it was time to announce who would take the lead in forming Overwatch. The CO gave a speech about changing the course of the war, something that the recruits had heard a thousand times before. He talked about how Omnic and Human could live together, but that couldn’t happen without helping those in need first. Overwatch was to be founded on the basis of helping crisis area. The auditorium fell silent as the CO was handed the envelope with the graduate’s name inside of it. He watched as everyone around him tensed up, Jack more noticeably than the others. He was almost destined for this role, and he would be surprised if anyone else got it. The Commanding Officer cracked the wax seal of the envelope, lifting it silently and with the same blank expression he always kept.   
“It is my honour to announce that the Overwatch initiative’s first Strike Commander is a very deserving candidate. This recruit has worked hard from day 1 to achieve this position. Always excelling at tactical operations and team exercises, always putting himself before others.” Gabriel almost rolled his eyes, buttering Jack up like this just to make him look like the best leader to ever exist. He hated when the military did stuff like this. Putting pressure on whoever they choose to live up to these expectations. “It is a privilege to name Overwatch’s first commander.” He paused, gazing at the rows of graduates lining the side of the stage. “Strike Commander Gabriel Reyes.”   
-  
Gabriel stared at the message for a long time. Perhaps it was better just to kill Jack. Soldier76 had been an annoyance to Talon since he surfaced a few years back. Killing Jack would definitely bring a sense of closure back to Gabriel. Was destroying Talon really the right thing to do? He wanted his information.. but he could always bargain.   
He pushed the thoughts aside and grabbed at the metal Blackwatch emblem hanging off of his belt. He turned the cool metal over in his hand a few times, twisting the leather strap that held it in place. Killing Jack would be right for Talon. But what would be right for him?   
Why was he thinking this way? He was being paid to do a job. Of course he had to kill Jack. Put and end to this chapter of his life. He stood up, cracked his neck and put his mask back on. Yes. He was going to kill Jack Morrison.   
-  
Gabriel felt his head swim as applause erupted from the auditorium. He stood almost too fast, his vision going dark for a moment before be walked over to the stage. He felt Jack’s hand lightly brush his leg as he walked. Gabriel stood next to the commander, who handed him his new badge and a key. A key to Overwatch’s new headquarters. They shook hands and the commander motioned for Gabriel’s piece of paper.   
“Commander Reyes’ second is a man suited for this position, a contender to his new title,” Gabriel glanced over to Jack who was straightening his back. “First Captain of Overwatch; John “Jack” Morrison.” An equally loud applause from the audience as Jack made his way to stand next to Gabriel who gave him a playful jab with his elbow. Jack was handed a badge similar to Gabriel’s. “Commander Reyes’ third, Overwatch’s second Captain, a woman deserving of her title, Captain Ana Amari.” Ana Amari walked up to the stage, everyone had expected a command entirely of super soldiers. Amari was highly qualified for the job, a skilled sniper and a natural leader. The rest of the Overwatch strike team was named, the ceremony ended soon after the team was announced, and Gabriel was pulled to the side by the Commander.   
-  
Reaper traveled through the vents of the Talon compound with such a strong sense of purpose. More determination filled him than when he tried to kill Jack the first time. He wouldn’t back down this time. He was stronger, faster. Had the abilities to kill. He’d kill Jack and then he’d burn Talon to the ground.   
He materialised in front of Jack who was busy stretching. 76’s welcoming smile faded as Reaper grabbed the front of his jacket and head butted him.

-  
“There are more members waiting for you in Switzerland.” He said with a hushed tone   
“Switzerland?” Gabriel was almost shocked that the base was so far away.   
“Yes. We had to relocate a few days ago, luckily for us. There was a security breach at Gibraltar. You should still be able to run ops from there once we get it back up and running. But for now, your focus lies in Europe.”  “Yes, sir.” Gabriel barked back, he wouldn’t have to address anyone like that anymore.. Thank God.   
“Take your team and leave whenever you’re ready, Commander Reyes.” The Commander nodded before turning on his heel and walking away.   
\-   
76 stumbled back, rubbing his head, the stars fading from his vision a few moments later. “What was that for?” he growled.   
“I have to kill you, Morrison. Either you go relatively painlessly or you die a painful death.” Reaper hissed back as he swing for the side of Jack’s head, he dodged out of the way and grabbed Reaper’s arm, twisting it behind his back. “Why?” He breathed into the back of Reyes’ head.   
“Because I failed the first time.” He hissed again as he flung himself forward, flipping 76 over his head and landing on the hard floor with a crunch. Reaper stood over him. “I won’t fail this time.” He said as he kicked 76 in the ribs. He knew he was powerless without the visor, and was ready to take advantage of it.   
Jack yelped in pain as his ribs cracked. What had happened to him? What did Talon do?   
“You threw me away,” Reaper started as rested a foot on 76’s stomach “You threw me to Blackwatch like trash.” He put his weight on his foot, 76 gasped for air and he could feel his bones shifting. “And now..” He crouched down to the broken man’s level “It’s my turn to return the favour.” 

-  
“All right, team. We’re landing in Switzerland in under an hour. Before we land, I think Captain Morrison and myself have something to tell you.” Commander Reyes stood up from his seat on the aircraft, he watched Jack awkwardly squirm in his seat as the sets of eyes fell on him. Jack stood up nervously.   
“For some time now,” he started, his voice shaky “Myself and Reyes have been involved in a.. relationship.”   
The seconds after that were almost agonising.   
“We knew.” Was all Ana said as the whole team smiled and nodded. “But we understood how risky it would have been on a public scale.”   
“Ja, we are aware that you are Liebhaber. We are very happy for you.” The giant, Reinhardt laughed has he spoke. He wasn’t quite fluent in English, but he was always understood nonetheless.   
“Shit. That means the CO knew.. Why didn’t he kick us out?” Gabriel crossed his arms in confusion.   
“No. None of the commanders knew. We made sure of it.” Ana winked at Reinhardt who smiled back at her.   
“Thank you.. really.” Gabriel smiled, colour returning to his face. “I think Overwatch is going to do great things. And I’m happy I have all you by my side.” Everyone sat back down, Ana insisting that her and Gabriel swap places, so that Jack and himself would be next to each other. Not even together as Overwatch for a day and they were already as tight as a family.   
-  
“Gabriel. I didn’t mean-“   
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear from you.” Reaper was stifling a sob under his mask. His mind was telling him to stop, but his body wouldn’t.   
“Gabriel. I doesn't have to be like this.” 76’s breathing was ragged and short, he gasped as Gabriel sat down on top of his chest.   
“Shut. The fuck. Up.” Gabriel growled through his teeth as he punched 76 in the face over and over, he kept going even when the blood was pouring out of his nose and mouth. 76 was fading in and out of consciousness. When he was satisfied with how much he had punched him for now, he sat up straight and closed his eyes. His breathing was heavy and the tears hot against his face. He sniffed. Jack stirred underneath him. No. He was Soldier76, the enemy. Not Jack.   
“Gabe.” He moaned   
Reaper dug his clawed hands into 76’s shoulders, piercing the thick leather of his jacket.   
“Gabe.. I love you.” He moaned through closed teeth as his body fully relaxed and he passed out. His breathing short and irregular.   
Reaper cried as he picked Jack’s body up off the floor. He had done it again. He had fucking tried to kill him again. Reaper focused all his energy on turning himself and Jack to smoke. It was way easier said than done. It took almost 5 minutes to fully dissolve them both. He could feel Jack’s pain while they were both like this. It was excruciating. Why didn’t he fight back? He made his way to an empty infirmary where he placed Jack’s body on a bed and searched frantically for any sort of healing device. Not able to find anything major, he hooked Jack up to a simple rig of adrenaline and anaesthetic. He dug in Jack’s pockets for his comm system, pulling it out of his pocket, he searched for McCree with shaky hands.   
“Jack! How’s it going with Reyes?” McCree sounded happy.   
“McCree! Get a team to this location right now. Bring a doctor.” Gabriel’s voice was panicked and rushed.   
“What’s his status?”   
“Critical. Get here quick. I’m patching the coordinates through now.”   
“Right away, sir. See you soon.”   
Gabriel gripped Jack’s hand, his knuckles turning white “I love you too.” He whispered as he cried quietly. 

Explosions rang out from above them. McCree was here. Jack’s comm system buzzed and McCree’s face flashed in the air. Gabriel accepted the call.   
“We’re on our way, Reyes. Where are you?”  “Down 3 levels. Do you need a hand up there?”   
“Not with the fightin’ but we could use a guide to Morrison.”   
“I’ll be right up.” Gabriel made sure Jack was somewhat stable before turning to smoke and speeding toward McCree and his team.   
He met them within seconds, the network of vents making quick work of getting to Jack’s help. He almost ran straight into McCree, who was holding a guard in a choke-hold.   
He was alone. A flash of rage washed over Gabriel.   
“Where is everyone else?” he growled   
“I didn’t bring anyone else, but hear me out.” He huffed as he dropped the guard to the ground. “One ‘f our new recruits has access to Vishkar tech. She got us a teleport route set up to straight through to Gibraltar.”   
“You guys have been busy in the last few months.” Gabriel chuckled under his mask. He motioned for McCree to follow him and the two ran down the stairs to the floor Jack was being kept on. They both burst through the doors to the room that Jack was in. McCree fumbled to set up the teleport link, Gabriel picked Jack back up when it was ready.   
They arrived at Gibraltar within seconds, straight into the medbay. Winston was waiting with Dr. Ziegler at a bed. They both scowled at Reaper as he walked in, holding Jack close to his body. They had both been confused as to why Reaper hadn’t killed Morrison in the first place. Why he had made the call to save him.   
Gabriel set Jack down on the waiting bed and turned to face the scientist. “Now. If you’ll excuse me.” He growled as he turned and left, McCree trailing behind him. When they had rounded the corner, McCree grabbed Gabriel’s shoulder.   
“You can’t leave now, Reyes. He needs you.”  “Listen, Jesse. I have 3 days to destroy Talon. As much as it hurts, I don’t have time to wait for Jack.”   
“Then let me help you.”  “No.”  “I ain’t a kid anymore. You know firsthand about my skills.”   
“Listen, I’m not gonna stop you. But if you get in my way I won’t hold back.”  “Fine. We destroy the teleport when we arrive back at the Talon HQ.”   
-   
The next 2 days were spent hunting down guards and commanders, slowly thinning the herd out until there weren’t many Talon agents left. The morning of the final day, the pair was intercepted by Widowmaker. The rage in her eyes told the whole story. She was here to stop them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPANISH:   
> Hazer, cabrón: make me, dumbass   
> Sí mamá. Lo que usted diga: Yes ma, whatever you say. 
> 
>  
> 
> GERMAN:   
> Ja: yes  
> Liebhaber: Lovers


	6. Old friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> McCree and Reyes kick Widowmaker's butt then go do some more stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This gets kinda sad, getting through this stuff before we can get to the cute shippy stuff!  
> TRANSLATIONS AT END

_“je savais qu'il vous était.”_

_“Tout le temps.”_

_“Temps pour vous de mourir à nouveau. Monsieur Reyes.. Avec celui qui est présent.”_

Reaper almost snorted under his mask. Her voice was calm, yet a venomous tone was screaming to be heard. She always had to speak French when she was hunting. It added some mystery, yes. But he personally couldn’t stand the accent. She always sounded so smug. She was just a scared girl, taken by talon and turned into a monster. At least he had been someone before he signed on, he’d actually made a difference to the world. Well.. until Jack took his job. 

“Now, I don’t understand what the hell you said just then,” McCree chuckled lightly as he swept his fingers lightly over the stock of Peacekeaper. “But I don’t take too kindly to blue terrorists standin’ in my way.” 

“I’d be careful where you point that gun, cowboy.” Widowmaker lifted her chin slightly as she tightened her grip on her own gun, the powerful, defined muscles in her arms and hands shifting as her grip tightened. She released one hand from her gun and flung her arm toward the ceiling, releasing the grappling hook from her arm and shattering the light above them. The room plunged into darkness, McCree rolled behind a nearby crate as Widowmaker opened fire on the pair. Reaper made quick work of getting back to McCree, easily dodging the auto-rifles fire. He returned to his solid form once behind the crate. 

“She can see our every move. She wants as big as an advantage as she can get,” Reaper whispered angrily “Her visor lets her see our heat signatures, unless you want to die here I suggest that we come up with a plan.” He snapped his fingers “Do you remember M5?” 

“Like the back of my hand.” McCree grunted, a flash of white teeth. A smile. Reyes almost wasn't angry that McCree had refused to wear a helmet when he saw the determination in that smile “You drilled it into my brain enough for me to never forget.” 

“Good.” Reaper said as he stood up and left over the crate. 

It was amazing to watch Reyes work again. The precision in each step, the silence. His natural skill combined with the ability to turn himself to smoke got him in front of Widowmaker without any trouble. She fired wildly at him in panic, not landing a single hit through the smoke. He turned solid and slid under her legs, shielding his eyes as McCree threw the flashbang. Even though it wouldn’t effect her actual eye-sight, her visor would be lost in light for a few precious seconds. Just long enough for Reyes to punch her in the right side, smashing the displays of her side and back views, rendering them useless. They now had a blind spot to work with. That didn’t stop the spider’s impeccable hearing, she swung her leg around, knocking Reaper off his feat, hitting the floor with a solid thud. He grunted as Widowmaker’s steel-plated boot connected with his throat. He felt his muscles tighten and he gasped for air. McCree launched himself at the blind spot, firing a moment too late as the woman ducked out of the way, using her grappling hook to disappear into the darkness. A moment later, a red light dropped from the sky, hitting the floor before exploding into a cloud of gas. McCree clawed desperately for his serape, before realising that he had swapped it out for the Talon getup. He pressed his forearm against his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut. He felt the cool rush of air fly past him, Reaper was going after Widowmaker. McCree walked groggily toward a vent on the wall above him, using his prosthetic arm to feel for the wall. Even though he lacked any sense in the prosthetic, he’d still be able to tell when he hit the wall by the sudden pressure against the end of his arm. He found the wall and sat against it, gasping for air though the arm against his mouth. He felt the world begin to spin as the smoke did its work. he just hoped that Reyes could get the job done before someone found him down here. 

 

The two Talon agents met in a small clearing a few rooms away from where they had left McCree. Widowmaker lunged toward Reaper, who easily dodged her attack. He had always been skilled in close quarters combat, his strength and agility making quick work of most fights. Widowmaker slammed the butt of her gun into Reaper’s helmet, glass shattered onto his face. He ripped the helmet off before the shrapnel could get into his eyes. His face already bleeding from where the glass had impacted with his already scarred face. He grinned as Widowmaker shifted next to him. A wrong move. A chance to strike. He landed an uppercut straight to her jaw, causing her to release her visor and cup a hand to her bleeding mouth. He took the chance to land another blow to her nose, he felt the cartilage shatter under his fist. With blood pouring out of her nose and mouth, she made another poorly-timed lunge for Reaper, who dodged the attack with ease. He grabbed Widowmaker by her hair and violently ripped her head down to below his chin. 

“As you would say,” his ragged breath was hot on her skin “ _Vivre ou mourir?”_

She spat blood onto his face, a sign of defiance. He raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly “That’s not an answer, spider.” 

“A fitting answer, I believe.” She whispered as she brought a boot up to connect with Reaper’s lower spine. He released his grip for just long enough for the woman to wriggle free and run out of the room. He was done with chasing her for now. She could only run for so long before their final showdown. 

Figuring that Widowmaker had gone back to tell the boss that it was Reaper behind the attacks, he made his way back to where he had left McCree. The plan was become more and more improvised as it went. First Morrison showing up, now McCree being here and Widowmaker off to tell the boss about him. The already dwindling time frame was becoming less lenient yet again. 

Reaper's boot fell just short of McCree's vision, just off to the left, but close enough to see the shadow that it cast. Wincing, McCree pushed himself up off the floor, slowly sitting up. He felt a pair of strong hands wrap around his good arm and pull him to his feet. 

"You okay, kid?" Reaper growled, his breathing was raspy, his throat was becoming swollen after he had been kicked. 

"I told you, I ain't a kid no more." McCree winced and forced a smile. 

"No? Then why am I back to save your _culo tonto,_ huh?

"I see your point." The younger man grumbled as he diverted his eyes away from Reaper's, who added the final, insufferable touch to his smug expression. "What's in those things, anyways?"

"A light neurotoxin. It should ware off within the hour," Reaper replied hastily as he gave McCree a once-over for serious injuries "you able to walk?" 

" _Sí, comandante Reyes._ “ He chirped as he stood up, his numb leg almost buckling under his own weight.

"Drop the commander bullshit, Jesse. It hasn't been that way for almost 6 years now." Reyes started walking toward the exit, a low mumble barely escaping his lips. Jesse McCree made no hesitation in following him. Feeling somewhat guilty for making him so suddenly angry. 

-

Once he took down Talon. Then he'd move onto Overwatch. Reforming the sorry excuse for a peace program was a bad idea from the get-go. Like the UN would ever let them back in. Not after how it ended last time. As much as he respected Jesse, he still found himself almost disgusted that he would choose to re-join. Guess his loyalties really laid in their hands. In his hands. He was in 2 minds about killing his once protégé, kill him and have it be done with; or re teach him and turn him against his own 'family'. After all, he had taught Jesse everything he knew about tactics and technique. 

Even if he did kill McCree, that still left Jack alive. Not to mention Ziegler. The name almost made him choke. She had left him to die. Not told anyone he was alive. He had been alive. He had died. He had been brought back a monster and kept caged up like an animal. Completely hidden from the public's eye. Jack's body had been "found", but his never uncovered. He knew from the start Jack didn't die. If he hadn't died from the blast neither had Jack. The medical team was far less inclined to let their precious Strike Commander poster-boy die. But Gabriel Reyes was expendable. A past commander that everyone had somehow forgotten lead Overwatch to the end of the war. 

He was far more useful to Talon like this. A faster, stronger, more ruthless killer who they believed needed to kill to survive. He let them believe that. Keeping his head down while silently stealing information as he went. Tasting the truth and then going months at a time without any new information. This final push. This last attack on Talon. This would get him answers. What he didn't fully understand he could get from Jack. But he'd have the basics and enough truth to corner Jack into telling him anything that he wanted to hear. 

But he was just. So. Tired. Tired of being a killer, every murder weighing on the good shreds of his being he had left. Tired of lying. To Talon, to himself. He was tired of hurting. He was just tired of living. There was no way that he could manage to kill himself. His damn body always keeping him alive. He wish he just died in the explosion. He would have.. If Ziegler hadn’t interfered and experimented on him. If he were dead, he wouldn’t have to worry about Jack being alive. He wouldn’t have to carry the guilt of killing him in the first place. He wouldn’t have to kill people for Talon. He wouldn’t even have had signed on with Talon. Well.. not officially. Blackwatch was dead, why wasn't he? He wanted Overwatch to be a world-changing peace organisation. It was. Then he was kicked out. Kicked out in favour of the blond hair, blue eyed white boy. The one he loved. It was crushing, Jack wanted to help. Gabriel was put in command of Blackwatch. Jack never knew what went on in there. A corrupting force that broke Gabriel and turned him into a heartless killer during the day - an emotional mess during the night. He felt remorse after every life he took, every person he hurt. Jack became more and more busy, the pair drifted apart. They’d only see each other after-hours, when Gabriel was already depressed enough. They stuck together, hoping that it would get better eventually. 

The beginnings of Talon had weaved their way into Blackwatch, subtly planting suggestions in Gabriel’s head. Treason, murder - Putting and end to Overwatch. He began to believe what they were telling him. The Talon operatives acting as Blackwatch spies, constantly feeding Reyes information. Him and Jack began to fight. About work. About their relationship. Gabriel’s jealousy overcame him and it lead him to blow up the Swiss HQ. He had been pushed and manipulated to kill Jack. To end Overwatch. He was meant to die - not be resurrected.  
He took a deep breath, breathing in the stale air of the base. McCree was still walking silently behind him. He had been so lost in thought that he’d taken them down a wrong corridor. To avoid the embarrassment of admitting they’d taken a wrong turn, Reaper turned down the next corridor to do a careful loop of the building, getting them back on track. He growled something that he was almost certain McCree heard: _Shoulda killed you back then. You didn’t deserve any of this._  
-  
Taken aback, McCree held his silence, desperately wanting to say something, but knowing better than to talk back to Reyes when he wasn’t even meant to hear it anyway. A rhetorical statement. A statement that Reyes didn’t particularly care if Jesse heard. He thought about it as he matched his footsteps perfectly to Reyes’, his boots jingling slightly with each step. It must have been hard. he thought to himself as he followed his old commander _He’s refused to show me his face this whole time. What happened to him?_ He shrugged the question off and kept walking. He couldn’t hold his silence forever.  
“Reyes?” Jesse croaked quietly  
“Yes?” Came an equally quiet response  
“I always thought you were alive. I’m glad to know it’s true.” McCree forced a smile, even though Reyes couldn’t see it, he still wanted to add some trace of happiness to his statement.  
“Oh?” Reaper stopped and turned around “You never thought I was dead?”  “No. I’ve watched you get shot so many times and shrug it off. I knew you would survive.” He extended a hand to rest on Reaper’s arm  
“I did die,” He turned his head to look just past McCree “But I was brought back.”  “By Talon?” “No.”  “Then.. By who?”  
“Ziegler.”  
“What? Then why are you… all smokey and dead-like?”  
A short laugh came from underneath Reaper’s helmet “She decided it would be fun to use experimental technology. She fucked it up. I’m stuck between living and dying. She blamed it on the super soldier program. If that were true, then why isn’t Jack like me? Heh. She didn’t like Blackwatch, so why not just turn its former commander into the monster he was while working?” He shook his head slightly, a smile forming under the helmet. “But she seemed to spare you, at least.”  Jesse’s grip on Reaper’s arm tightened, a supportive gesture. “Overwatch didn’t do shit for all the bounties on my head. Not until the recall. Even then, it took a couple of months for everything to get cleaned up.”  “And they just let you back in?” His tone was inquisitive.  
“Yeah. I helped ‘em track down Jack. Tried to track you down, but no one would give me any information.”  
“Typical. Fuckers don't want to face the monster they made.” He paused for a few seconds “I’ll kill every last one of them. Ziegler first.” He felt the rage choke him, the pressure in his chest building. He wanted to rip her throat out. She ruined his life and not told anyone, pretended he was dead. Convinced everyone that he was dead. Including Jack. In a way, he felt that she was worse than what Talon had done to him.  
“No. Gabriel.” McCree’s voice was soft and gentle “That isn’t the answer. I can’t begin to understand what you’re goin’ through, but she’s useful to Overwatch right now. If she fucks anyone else over, I won’t hold you back. But for now..” He raised one eyebrow “You don’t touch a hair on her head.”  “I taught you everything you know, do you really want to go there?” Reaper almost laughed, Jesse trying to intimidate him? What a joke.  
“I’ve learned a few things since Overwatch disbanded. I won’t hesitate to put my skills to use.”  
Reaper sighed “Listen. You were like a son to me, I’m not going to hurt you. But get in the way and I will.”  
“Fine.” He whispered, releasing the grip on his arm and standing in a ready stance. 

Reaper choked down the rage. He couldn’t hurt Jesse. No matter how much of a monster he had become. That kid was practically his, the countless missions they’d been on together in their days at Blackwatch. He was getting better at controlling whatever Talon had done to him all those years ago. Jack and McCree had helped him keep a grip on reality. he just hoped that he would be able to keep up his own defence. When he destroyed Talon, it would either get better or worse. Depending on if what they had done was technology based or not. There could be a protocol to stop him from going back to Overwatch. He tried not to think about it too much. Jesse’s concerned voice cut through his thoughts.  
“You okay over there?” He looked genuinely worried, even though he couldn’t see Reyes’ face, he could feel the waves of anger washing over him, trying to eat him up.  
“Yeah. Sort of.” He shrugged off the concern.  
“Okay. I’ll leave you alone with it. But promise me that you’ll tell me when you’re ready?”  
“Yeah. I will. You deserve to know everything. I doubt you get told anything by the others.”  “You’d be right there,” He forced a sly smirk “what’s our next course of action?”  “I think we’re ready to take this place down. Now that Widowmaker is off to tell the boss everything.” He fumbled in his pocket for his communicator. “Jack had a plan. let’s hope he's awake.”    
Jack didn’t pick up, so Reaper left a quick message asking him to call back. An hour later, Jack retuned the call. Him and McCree had been sitting around the safe room, telling stories about the last 5 years that they hadn’t seen each other. Reaper still refused to take the helmet off. He was getting hungry. Not exactly the best time for Jesse to see his face again for the first time.  
Jack attempted to make smalltalk before Reaper cut him off “We don’t have time for smalltalk, Morrison. We need to know what your plan was to take down Talon.”  “Yeah, thanks. I’m doing great too!” He laughed lightly before dropping down to a serious tone “I was going to attach my Helix rockets to the building’s core and remotely detonate them. That’s not going to work without me there, Ziegler says I’m not well enough to go yet. Sorry Gabi.”  
He blushed under his helmet slightly. That damn pet name got him every time. “Alright. Is there anything you can think of that we can use. Any of mine or McCree’s weapons?”  
“McCree’s flashbangs could work well. Pair them with the gunpowder from some of your shells and you’ve got yourself a small explosive. You just gotta find something to make the reaction bigger.” Jack’s voice was excited, but pained at times. He must still be hurting. A pang of guilt washed over Reyes. Jack wouldn’t be injured if it weren’t for him. _Never gets anything right._ “Thanks, Jack. I’m.. sorry about what I did to you.”  
“We’re gonna get everything sorted out, Gabe. We’re gonna talk when you’re done with this. Even if we don’t end up happy together, we’ll have closure.” Jack sounded like he was trying to choke back tears. So Reyes wasn’t the only one who still had feelings for him. “Just. Stay safe out there so I can see you again, okay?” Jack hung up, Reaper threw the communicator across the room, it landed on the bed.  
“Someone’s gettin’ some later.” McCree taunted.  
“That someone isn’t me. He’s not going to want me after I tell him everything.”  
“That ain’t true. He never shuts up about you. The time you two met right before Ana re-joined. He didn’t shut up about it for weeks. He misses you.”  “And I him. But he hasn’t seen the full extent of what I become. And… I already hurt him. I don’t trust myself to go near him.”  
McCree shuffled over to Reaper, who had a gloved hand braced against his helmet and his knees pulled in close to his chest. “From what I can see;” McCree started “You’re still the same old Reyes to me, you dramatic asshole.”  
“Thanks.” He growled back.  
“You just got a few quirks now is all. Nothin’ you can’t work through. I know Talon did something to ya, but you’re still you.” He poked a metal finger into Reaper’s chest armour. “Don’t give up. Not yet.”  
Reaper broke down into tears as Jesse’s finger pressed against his chest. He tried to keep the sobbing noises back, but holding back just broke him further. He curled up in Jesse’s lap and shook violently as he sobbed, border-lining hysterics. He flinched when Jesse reached around to remove the helmet. He protested silently before giving in and sighing deeply as the helmet was removed. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, both to not have to face McCree’s initial reaction, as well as the fact that his eyes had most likely started to change colour by now, the brown iris’ turning bright red.  
He heard Jesse slip his glove off and touch his face lightly. Tracing the lines of the old scars. Avoiding the new ones.  
“You ain’t lookin’ too bad for an old man, Reyes.” He said softly.  
He opened his eyes slowly, watching McCree hide his shock, his eyes had obviously changed colour. “Still not lookin’ too bad?” He mimicked in McCree’s accent, trying to hold back his crying.  
“Nah.” He smiled “That was terrible, by the way.”  
“How light is my skin?” Reyes asked, his eyes darting between focus on Jesse’s.  
“Huh? Like… Almost completely grey?” He seemed very confused, Gabriel should know the colour of his own skin.  
“Shit. I gotta eat.” He got up from the floor and wandered over to the fridge. “Don’t you ever tell anyone about this.” He said as he wiped the tears out of his face. There wasn’t much food left, but the few protein bars he had left would have to do for now. They’d be out again soon. He could find something to eat.  
He sat back down on the floor and ripped the packet of one of the bars open, shoving half of it into his mouth, he pointed the other half at McCree’s belt. “Your flashbangs. Open one up.”  
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to talk with your mouth open?” McCree said as he stood up to grab his belt from the small cabinet in the corner. He unclipped one from the belt and tossed it toward Reyes, who caught it without needing to look.  
“You can take tat guard getup off now. We’re going out on our own terms next time.” Reyes said as he put the flashbang on the floor and stood up to grab his own gear. He grabbed a few shotgun shells and took them back to the floor. He opened the tops of both the flashbang and the shotgun shell and tipped the contents into the flashbang. He closed it back up and shook it gently, careful not to blow it up early. When he was convinced that the contents were mixed enough, he stood back up and walked toward the hole in the ceiling.  
“I’m gonna go test this.” He said, climbing up into the roof and disappearing over the rafters. 

He waited until he was a few rooms down before throwing the modified flashbang even further down the abandoned hallway. It exploded in a burst of bright light, a small spark in the middle. It was on its way to working. As he made his way back to the safe room, he decided the best thing would be to mix in a larger amount of his own gunpowder, as well as small pieces of flint, which he could get easily outside.  
“How’d it go?” McCree asked curiously when Reyes came back into the room  
“Needs more gunpowder. I’m going to get something, I’ll be back soon.” He said as he left again. 

Half an hour later, he returned with a handful of grey rocks. He dumped them on the floor and unclipped all of McCree’s flashbangs from his belt. McCree was napping in the corner, his hat tipped over his face and his legs outstretched. He had taken the chance to put all his own clothes back on, the red of the serape he wore a bright contrast in the bland room. Reyes had also brought a bowl back with him, which he tipped the contents of the first flashbang into before mixing in 4 of his own shotgun shells into. He poured the contents back into the casing of the flashbang and repeated the process for the 10 they had. He was lucky that he had stocked up on ammo before Jack got there, because he had depleted half of it just on the grenades. They now had a full set of makeshift explosives, they just needed to get them down to the power centre. A low budget version of what Reyes had done back in Switzerland.. 

After changing back into his own clothes, Reaper ripped strips off of the uniform he was just wearing and tied the flashbangs together in a chain. he attached two longer pieces of fabric to either end of the chain, to fit the bottom of the core. He had seen it before, a series of pipes leading into a large reactor. Blow that up and the rest goes down. The extra fabric was for if he forgot the real scale of the reactor. Jack’s idea about adding a third thing to make the grenade more explosive wasn’t forgotten, Reyes would place the chain of bombs in a way that when the pipe cracked and the energy was exposed to the explosion, it would set off a chain reaction, blowing the whole core, maybe even the base. He crouched down and woke Jesse up from his nap, shaking his shoulder lightly.  
“I need to try something.” he whispered softly, trying not to startle McCree.  
“And I need to be awake?” He drawled back, still not fully awake.  
“Yes. Stand up.” He extended a hand to pull McCree up from the floor. Once they were both standing, Reaper placed both of his hands on Jesse’s shoulders. “Stay calm.” He said as he closed his eyes. Jesse felt a strange current run through his body; a burning wall of emotion, thoughts, feelings. He could feel Reyes’ breathing steady as he began to dissolve. Reyes had managed to turn them both to smoke. he held them still for a few seconds, before putting Jesse back together first.  
“That wasn’t as difficult as I expected.” Reyes breathed once they were both back to normal.  
Jesse blinked in disbelief “That was… The feeling. Sickening.”  
“Yes. The first few times. But if we want to get out of here alive you’re going to have to put up with it. I’m the one doing all the hard work. I’m not sure how long I can hold us like that.” Reyes rubbed his fingers against his temple, trying to stifle the oncoming headache.  
“Get out alive? What’s happening?”  
“We’re going to cause an explosion in the core. Tonight. I’ve rigged up the bombs, the last thing I need to prepare is you. Are you ready?”  “Yes.” 

Gabriel Reyes carefully laid the plan out in front of McCree. Tonight, they would walk down to the reactor chamber, wrap the bombs around the base of the core. Reyes would give the signal for McCree to shoot the outermost bomb, causing a chain reaction which would decimate the core. They would both escape through the vents up into the server room, where they would extract all the information they could, with a 10 minute timeframe to get out of the compound and to a safe distance. Reyes was about to go out and fill up on energy, then they would wait an hour. If anyone confronted them along the way, they had agreed to split up and take down the target by any means necessary. Reyes had set up additional explosives that he’d gotten hold of a few months earlier in hidden locations in all the hangars, preventing anyone from escaping. He had contacted Jack and organised for his top Overwatch personnel to guard all exits, not letting anyone get out. They most likely wouldn’t kill them, but Reyes would go back in personally if he had to. 

Once they had discussed any and all loopholes in the plan, Reyes left to go find his next meal. He returned a short time later and began to check his weapons for flaws, as well as cleaning them and making sure they worked perfectly. McCree followed suit, preparing Peacekeeper for the attack. Reyes had always been one for preparation, his routine almost impossible to follow to the untrained eye. But McCree knew every step, every little detail that he followed perfectly, even now. He always admired him for it, as well as many other things. If he was going to die today, he was glad that it was by Reyes. He had failed him once already by leaving Blackwatch. It wouldn’t happen again. He’d fight with his former commander until his dying breath. he just hoped that breath wouldn’t be today. 

After the hour-long wait, Reyes turned his comm on for the last time; he flicked through to the last thread of messages with Jack. 

**MON [1843]**  
` Commencing attack. Destroying comm. Talk soon, Jack. `

He dropped the comm system onto the floor and crushed it under his heavy boot, he didn’t bother cleaning it up, it was designed to be untraceable once destroyed. He turned his head to McCree and brushed a hand the edge of his mask. “You ready?”  
He nodded, slipping his glove back onto his good hand. “Yup. Ready to leave whenever you are.”  
“Then lets go.” Reaper tied the string of modified flashbangs around his waist , covering most of them with the sides of his thick coat. They blended in well with the mess of belts he already had on him, and it almost looked natural. The pair made their way down to the plant room, it didn’t matter at this point if they were seen on camera, the cameras stopped 2 floors above the reactor anyway, most of Talon didn’t know about it. A secret area that only the engineers and very high-ranking members knew about. They had no trouble getting down to the right floor, they entered the room and Reyes untied the belt of bombs from around his waist.  
“I’m almost surprised no one was down here.” McCree whispered.  
“It’s a very poorly put together group. Not many people here are aware of half the crap that goes on.” he replied, walking over to the pipe below the reactor where he was going to tie the bombs. He fixed them firmly to the pipe, the tops of the flashbangs pressed firmly against the bottom of the main chamber of the reactor. He stepped back over to McCree.  “As soon as you feel yourself losing solidity, you fire that gun.” He growled, wrapping his gloves around Jesse’s prosthetic arm and holding him in a tight grip. He closed his eyes and turned himself to smoke, he let the smoke curiously consume Jesse. As soon as it reached the end of the stump of left arm he had, he fired his revolver. It sent the room into a burst of light. He was dragged through the vent so fast that he never saw what actually happened to the core. Within seconds, the two were in the server room. Reaper had to sit down for a second, the dizziness washing over him in fierce waves. Jesse went to work extracting the data. He plugged the removable drive into the main console and stopped breathing for the few seconds it didn’t light up. When it did light up, he almost yelled in joy. Hammering the password Reaper had told him earlier into the console’s interface, he ran the brute force program and rushed over to Reaper as soon as the screen lit up saying ‘extracting’. He helped the older man stand and let him lean on his body.  
The soft click of the door behind them reached Jesse’s attention first. He turned on his heel and fired. Directly into the centre of Widowmaker’s right arm. 

She yelped in pain, startled by the reaction time. Gritting her teeth, she raised her gun to her chest. The bone in her forearm popped itself out of the bullet hole, yet she still kept raising the gun. It was the most disgusting and interesting thing that Jesse had ever seen. If she were anyone else, he would have offered a hand getting the bone back into place. But the sheer determination in her eyes told the whole story. She lunged for the console and tried to rip the drive out of it. She was stopped by a well placed jab to the stomach by Reaper, who was fighting through the headache and dizzy spells. Fuelled by adrenaline, Reyes always worked his hardest.  
“This time. You both die.” She hissed, jumping with her fingers splayed in a claw like position. She grabbed for Jesse’s throat. He grunted as he palm smacked his throat and he struggled to wrench her off as she dug her hands in further, causing him to cough until the blood threatened to choke him to death. The younger man managed to hook his feet underneath her stomach and launch her off of him, she flipped with feline-like precision and landed crouched on her feet. Reaper was struggling to stay upright, his gun feebly pointed at the middle of her back. She whipped around and kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious. She turned her attention back to Jesse, her fierce eyes glowing yellow. She’d taken her visor off since their last fight. Still damaged. McCree fanned six shots in her direction, throwing one of his last remaining flashbangs as he rolled away to reload. She laughed with a manic tone.  
She had dropped her gun to shield her eyes from the flashbang. It wasn’t on the floor in front of her anymore. She turned around to greet a bone-white face. Her own gun pressed against the soft spot of her jaw. She had been so bust with Jesse that she hadn’t noticed Reaper get back up. She could see his cracked smile through the gaps in his mask. Rather than killing her, Reaper used his free hand to punch Widowmaker in the side of the head. Using the spare fabric he’d bought with him to tie her hands and feet together and slung her limp body over his shoulder. McCree grabbed the drive from the console, Talon’s files in his hand and walked ahead of Reaper to keep him covered. He slipped the drive into his pocket and gripped Peacekeeper firmly in his right hand, keeping it at the ready, his thumb brushing lightly over the hammer as he walked. Touching his gun helped him to keep calm, to stay focused.

They emerged from the base to face a swarm of scattering guards. Jesse could see a figure of a thin man standing up on the cliff above them, firing bombs down on the guards. Had they gained another new recruit while he was gone. Overwatch was growing rapidly right now, new people coming in every few weeks. It started with Lúcio, then Hana - who went by the online handle ‘D.Va’. The new people came pouring in after them, their once small, tight knit family was now a compound full of new faces. McCree’s personal favourite of the new recruits, was the older brother of Genji Shimada, Hanzo. He was an amazing shot. Quiet, yet approachable. Well.. until he bit your head off with his sharp comments. He could see Hanzo standing behind the fella with the bombs, a much larger man was standing behind him, just watching. He saw the glint of Reinhardt’s armour, the familiar silhouettes of his family coming into view soon after. He was so close. McCree pumped his legs faster, forgetting that Reyes was behind him. He spun around to see the older man struggle to keep up, Widowmaker weighing down his powerful stride. Jesse headed back toward Reyes, he was just a few metres away when he heard the rifle shots, his eyes widened as both him and Reaper were shot in the thighs with tranquillisers. The world went dark as they both collapsed to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FRENCH  
> je savais qu'il vous était. - I knew it was you
> 
> Tout le temps. - the whole time
> 
> Temps pour vous de mourir à nouveau. Monsieur Reyes.. Avec celui qui est présent. - time to die again. mr reyes. Along with whoever this is
> 
> Vivre ou mourir? - Live or die? 
> 
> SPANISH  
> culo tonto - dumb ass (apposed to dumbass, which is cabrón)
> 
> Sí, comandante Reyes - Yes, commander Reyes


End file.
